CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The operator arranged very excellent & guide/driver and we are satisfied with the services provided.
The operator arranged very good tented camps with good location and services in Kenya although our trip was last-min booking and some tents were changed. In addition, our guide/drivers in both Kenya and Tanzania are all pretty good with over 10 years of working experience as a tour guide. We look forward to getting back to Africa again in near future and highly recommend this tour company. It's better to book your safari trip as early as possible so that you can secure the tented-camps you like the most.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great team that will do their best to make your safari amazing!
If you’re reading this, don’t hesitate, go ahead and book with Amazing Memories. The team did, in fact, help us make some amazing memories.
Throughout booking I dealt with one person, Anne. She answered any and all questions I had and didn’t make me feel like I was asking too many questions (most of my questions were through email, but they can also communicate through WhatsApp (like free text messaging)).
They look to have set safari packages, but I wrote to Anne with particular path and lodges in mind. Anne assisted in making sure we got what we wanted. You can definitely tailor your trip to the things/places you want to stay, do, and see. That being said, two or three of my picks were full (my fault for booking so late), but she suggested other options that ended up being good.
We paid 30% down when booking and paid the rest upon arrival. You can pay by wire transfer, credit card, or cash. Cash was impossible for the down payment because I was in another country. So, I wired money through my bank (no fee on their part, but my bank had a small fee, which was still better than the credit card fee). Credit card came with a 4% transaction fee.
Because of other reviews, I requested Daniel. I’m am a fledgling photographer and I had noticed that another review had mentioned he loved taking photos, which he did and even gave me tips on how to get better photos. He would try to get us in the best possible positions for some fantastic photos - and he was successful many times!
Daniel was super friendly and extremely knowledgeable. At the time of this writing, he told us he had 10 years experience being a safari guide and it really showed because he could tell us about each and every animal we saw and gave facts with what we were seeing. He knew many of the other safari guides and could communicate through radio and just by stopping when they saw each other - this is very important because the parks are so big and unless someone tells you that they just saw XXX animal over by XXX area, we wouldn’t have encountered as much as we actually saw.
Traveling with Daniel felt like you were traveling with a friend. He was very friendly and would welcome any and all questions about Kenya, animals, the different tribe culture, and even about himself. I felt like he looked out for us and felt very safe and taken care of with him. And lastly, his communication skills are great. He would tell us the itinerary was, the time we were going to go here or there, the time he was going to pick us up....and he would repeat it at another time to be sure we were on the same page. Before we visited a village or went into a shop he would let us know what to expect, which was so invaluable. He was great with time management and we were able to see everything we wanted to see and do what we wanted to do.
Our trip was made to go to: Masai Mara, Samburu, Aberdare, Lake Nukuru, Nairobi - I won’t talk about specifics of the places since this review is about the company. I’ll just say that, those are the places I planned out with Anne and since some of the drives between these areas were quite long, Daniel planned, on his own, some things to stop at to break up the drive for us - it was much appreciated because we wouldn’t have known it was something we could have done/fit in to the drive.
We had 9 days with Daniel and we feel confident in our opinion about him. Without a doubt, I would request him when I am back in Kenya and would be super disappointed if he wasn’t available. He went above and beyond to make sure we had a great time.
Some tips: It is dusty! On game drives, the roof is up and windows open so that when you see an animal you can quickly capture the shot. Most of the roads are not paved and when other trucks/vans pass by a whole cloud of dust accompanies them. Bring sunglasses to protect your eyes from dust & I found it helpful to have a handkerchief to cover my mouth. We also brought some wet wipes to use before lunch.
Morning game drives can be chilly, but the afternoons can get a little warm - dress in layers.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great communication, amazing wildlife!
From the get-go, E-Trip Africa stood out with amazing communication. Every question was answered so quickly and thoroughly--Ben and Aurelie were very responsive to every email. This was our family's first trip to Africa and E-Trip Africa did not disappoint! Our goal was to see lots of wildlife and we sure did! We would recommend them to any friend wishing to travel to Tanzania.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Samburu National Reserve by Dan
Samburu was such a different place than the other parks in Kenya. It is warmer here but the wildlife was incredible there is quite a variety of wildlife. It was a unique experience. The birding was good but there are better places-- Lake Nakuru. The Samburu tribesmen were very interesting to see. The park is very nice and we would return here in the future.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Dan
Masai Mara--- what can I say it is why you come to safari in Kenya!! We were just a little early for the migration but the park did not disappoint!!
Stayed at the Sopa Lodges which was nice with excellent food. Wildlife well it was incredible-- lion prides, cheetahs feeding, leopard attempting to hunt a baby buffalo, birding was excellent, hippos were fighting, etc, etc..... Kenan Travel and Tours was incredible at getting us in the most advantageous positions for photos of a lifetime. The park was incredible and we will return here just as soon as we can!!!!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Dan
Lake Nakuru was incredible--- the scenic views from the Sopa Lodge overlooking the lake was awesome. The food was excellent here. The birding was first class-- we saw so many varieties of birds!! We even saw an owl and owlet which is incredible to spot in the middle of the day. Buffalo and Rhino helped round out the Big 5. We also spotted one of the most picturesque leopards lying on a fallen tree!!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Bogoria National Reserve by Dan
Unfortunately the rains limited our view of the park at Lake Bogoria the roads were not passable--- however we came here for the flamingos and it did not disappoint. We were up close to the many flamingos flying in and out. If you are not wanting to see flamingos then I would suggest you verify that the roads are accessible. We enjoyed our time here and the accommodation were nice and the food was great.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Amboseli National Park by Dan
Amboseli is an incredible place with Mount Kilimanjaro as a backdrop to the many herds of elephants. You come here for the elephants and the scenic views and it did not disappoint. In addition we were fortunate that we were able to see a pride of Lions feasting on a wildebeest.
Kibo which was a tented camp was incredible and gave that bush vibe. Plenty of birding here. Also if you are into the night sky as an astronomer I will tell you I have never seen the Milky Way light up like it did here!!
CV
Dont waste yr Time and MONEY
I still recovering from the disappointment. QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK has almost no wildlife at the moment. One pays a lot to see nothing around even if one drives for hours. Even antelopes, which are normally abundant, are rarely seen therefore spotting the lions is almost impossible. The guides and the company rep, only after your first hours of game drive, start telling that it s been years not much animals are seen in the park n the government needs to open new tracks. My guide even lied to us about the number is lions in the parks. There are many villages within the area of Queen Elizabeth hence wild animals are destroying people crops and livestock n sometimes kill people and in revenge lions have been killed decreasing the numbers in the park. I would say don't fall into the trap unless you want to waste your money and time driving around an almost wildlife less park.
The park is huge and the number of animals are insignificant comparing to the massive area of the park. Won't recommend it to anyone.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenan Travel and Tours was first class for our once in a lifetime African Safari!!!!
This was our first family trip to Kenya. Traveling from the USA we wanted to use a Kenyan company that was reliable of course it is hard to find a lot of information on companies but was able to research Kenan Travel and Tours and note that they were part of KATO. Still until you actually take the trip it seems like a "leap of faith." Well let me tell you for anyone considering going to Kenya-- Kenan Travel and Tours is the way to go!!
From the beginning Geophrey was extremely easy to get in contact with and responded to emails very quickly which was a great start. When we arrived in Kenya after a long flight Geophrey was there at the airport to greet us and get us to our hotel in Nairobi. We were a group of nine and Geophrey handled all details leading up to our arrival to Kenya. Our trip was customized to include the things we wanted to do unlike the USA travel companies that required so many days in certain areas this personal touch was something that allowed us to go to the places we wanted not the places that the "USA tour companies" required-- Kenan delivered on a first class private tour.
The following morning in Nairobi we met in the hotel lobby and our itinerary was reviewed and we were escorted to our six seater Land Cruisers. Since we were a group of 9 we had two four wheel Land Cruisers that had plenty of room with comfortable seating--two to a row with sliding windows and a roof that popped open. The drivers were first class with incredible knowledge of the parks. Our driver was James and he did an absolutely incredible job of driving through the many bumpy back roads and national parks of Kenya. Our trip was 12 days and we traveled to Samburu, Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru, Maasai Mara, and Amboseli. James was absolutely incredible as a tour guide---and for a point of reference we have travelled extensively across the USA, Canada, Europe, South America, and now Africa. He had extensive knowledge of the parks and animals-- he was an like an encyclopedia when came to the many various animals--- everyone knows the big animals but his knowledge extended even to the small wildlife I don't there was a bird that I asked about that he was not able to educate me on. Of course we saw all of the Big 5, but we saw so many of the other mammals and birds and James was able to get us in a position to take pictures of a lifetime. The places that we stayed were extremely nice the food was excellent and the staff was very enthusiastic. Of course you can customize your trip with Kenan to stay at different levels of hotels. We found the Sopa lodges to be very nice. Everyone has their own level they desire and would encourage all to read about hotels booked and where they are located in the parks but we enjoyed our stays at Sopa and then Kibo at Amboseli. I would encourage anyone who is considering going to Kenya that they use Kenan Travel and Tours you will not regret it!! They will give you that personalized experience and allow you to customize things that you want so that you can have the level of luxury that you desire. I would give a big thanks to Geophrey, Shem (who drove the other Land Cruiser for other family members and he to had an extensive knowledge of Kenya!!) and James. James for my family you created an absolutely incredible once in a lifetime African Safari. James we hope to see you again in the near future!!!!